Late-Life Mood Disorders May Indicate Predisposition to Dementia

MONDAY, June 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Alzheimer disease (AD) and diverse non-AD tau pathologies may contribute to late-life mood disorders (LLMDs), according to a study published online June 9 in Alzheimer”s & Dementia.

Shin Kurose, from the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology in Japan, and colleagues examined the involvement of AD and non-AD tau pathologies in a study involving 52 participants with LLMDs and 47 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Participants underwent tau and amyloid beta (Aβ) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging using ¹⁸F-florzolotau and ¹¹C-Pittsburgh compound B. In addition, a clinicopathological correlation analysis was conducted in 208 autopsy cases, including neurodegenerative diseases.

The researchers found that compared with healthy controls, participants with LLMDs were more likely to be tau PET- and Aβ PET-positive. These results were supported by the postmortem results that showed higher likelihood of diverse tauopathies in patients with versus those without late-life mania or depression.

“Because most of the participants with LLMDs in our study had no or mild cognitive decline, these results support the evidence that neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer and non-Alzheimer tau-related pathologies, can initially manifest as psychiatric symptoms,” Kurose said in a statement.

Two authors hold patents on compounds related to this study.

Abstract/Full Text